1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for polishing a fiber. According to the present invention, deposits such as silicon and the like adhered to a fiber, for example such as the bare fiber or core of an optical fiber is removed when the core of the optical fiber is polished.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The optical fibers are employed in various industrial fields, and remarkably widespread among them.
Each of the optical fibers consists mainly of: its core a diameter of which is on the order of 0.1 mm; and a cladding member with which the core of the optical fiber is covered. Consequently, in the case of splicing the optical fibers, the optical fibers to be joined are stripped of their protective coating or cladding members over predetermined lengths from their ends so as to prepare their joining ends, and after that the thus prepared ends are polished to remove the deposits such as silicon and the like.
Hitherto, in the case of polishing the core of the optical fiber, since as shown in FIG. 1 it is difficult to hold the optical fiber 1 and since the fiber 1 is very brittle to make it difficult to rotate the fiber 360 degrees on its axis, the core 3 of the fiber 1 is intermittently rotated up to 180 degrees on its axis while sandwiched between cloths 2 in which a suitable polishing agent or wiping solvent such as alcohol and the like has been absorbed. Under such circumstances, the cloths 2 are axially moved relative to the core 3 of the optical fiber 1 to wipe and polish the core 3.
Such conventional polishing work of the core 3 of the optical fiber 1 is conducted manually or mechanically. However, since it is hard to hold the optical fiber 1, the conventional polishing work of the core 3 of the fiber 1 takes much time and labor to impair workability and productivity in mass production. In addition, the conventional polishing work is also disadvantageous in that it is completely difficult to polish the base of the core 3 of the optical fiber 1.